Sunday, 13 April 2014

Renaissance Deluxe

From the
designers of the award-winning Abney Park’s Airship Pirates, Renaissance Deluxe
is set of rules designed to handle adventures and campaigns during the Early
Modern period, between the Middle Ages and the Age of Revolutions. It is a game
that thus encompasses three hundred years of history, from 1500 AD to 1800 AD,
taking in changes weapons and warfare—the change from plate armour and swords
and shields to wheellocks and flintlocks and pikes and swords; of education
and reason as the printing press spreads, leading to a rise in literacy and
political agitation; of exploration and conquest as the Age of Sail heralds the
discovery of new lands and peoples everywhere. In England alone this covers
much of the Tudor, Stuart, and Hanoverian monarchies, the English Civil War,
the Jacobite Risings, while elsewhere it takes in the discovery of the Americas
and the founding of the colonies, the Indian Wars and the American War of
Independence, the Thirty Years War, and the French Revolution. This is not say that the game is entirely a
historical affair, for the rules also cover alchemy, magic, and witchcraft, as
well as sanity and insanity, and various fantasy creatures.Renaissance
Deluxe is a percentile RPG that uses OpenQuest, an Open Game License iteration
of Chaosium, Inc.’sBasic Roleplaying that is based on the Mongoose RuneQuest
SRD, as the basis for its rules and mechanics. What this means is that they
will be familiar to anyone who has played Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and other
similar percentile RPGs descended from the original RuneQuest from 1978. For
those not familiar with OpenQuest, RuneQuest, and Call of Cthulhu, what this
means is that the rules and mechanics provide a skill-orientated system that
gives dangerous combat and a gritty playing experience. The rules are simple
and unfussy, being relatively streamlined in comparison to other iterations of
the Basic Roleplaying family.Character
creation in Renaissance Deluxe begins with a player rolling his character’s
characteristics—each on a scale of three to eighteen, before choosing a Social
Class—Peasant, Townsman, Middle Class, Gentry, and Nobility—which determines
what Profession he can select. From Agitator and Camp Follower to Witch
Finder/Inquisitor to Woodsman, most of the given Professions are quite mundane,
although the Alchemist and the Witch/Warlock provide outré options. Both Social
Class and Professions provide bonuses to a character’s Common Skills and
Advanced Skills, the value each of which is derived from the character’s
characteristics. On top of that, a player receives 250 points to assign to his
skills. A table of connections and past events enable a group of adventurers to
create links with each other.Our sample
character is Martin O’Connell, an ex-mercenary who fought for various armies in
Europe, but sickening of the slaughter decided to return to England. He came to
the aid of one Noah McKay, a Scots doctor in Paris who was set upon by
ruffians. Not only did Doctor McKay buy him a drink, but hired him as a bodyguard.
McKay’s family does not approve, especially as Martin is Roman Catholic. Martin
is confident of himself and a doughty man to have in a fight. He thinks McKay
is an odd fellow, but enjoys his company and his coin. Much of the latter he
sends home to his family.Adventurer: Martin O’ConnellNationality: Irish Age: 31Homeland: Ireland Gender: MaleSocial Class: Peasant Profession: MercenaryFamily:Connections: Political Affiliation:RighteousnessRighteousness Points: 50Faction: Roman Catholicism Faction Zeal: 25STR: 15 CON: 13 SIZ: 16 INT: 14POW: 11 DEX: 12 CHA: 10Damage Modifier: +1D6 Combat Order: 12Spellcasting Order: 12 Movement: 15 metresArmourType: Buff Coat AP: 2/1Hit PointsMaximum: 15 Current: 15Major Wound Level: 8Sanity PointsMaximum: 11 Current: 11Major Insanity Level: 6Basic Skills:Athletics 47%, Close Combat 69%, Culture (Own) 58%, Dance 22%, Dodge 62%, Drive 36%, Evaluate 54%, First Aid 36%, Gun Combat 66%, Influence 52%, Insight 25%, Lore (Ireland) 58%, Perception 45%, Persistence 42%, Ranged Combat 35%, Resilience 56%, Ride 23%, Sing 31%, Sleight 22%, Stealth 35%, Unarmed Combat 47%Advanced Skills:Beliefs (Catholicism) 53%, Boating 48%, Craft (Baker) 25%, Dual Weapons (Sword & Main Gauche) 55%, Dual Weapons (Sword & Shield) 25%, Engineering 28%, Language (English) 54%, Language (Gaelic) 45%, Language (German) 25%, Lore (Plants) 28%, Lore (Tactics) 38%, Play Instrument (Pipes) 22%, Survival 24%One
notable addition to the characters are the rules for Righteousness, which
represents each character’s belief in a creed or organisation. This could be
his religion, a secret society, his clan, his master, his guild, or personal
self-interest, such as honour or greed. It is a percentile score that can go up
and down according to a player’s actions. For example, a player who has the
Faction of Rebellion (Jacobite) would gain points for defeating a band of
English soldiers in a public brawl, but lose points if he was defeated and
captured. A character’s Righteousness can also contribute a bonus to skill,
such as Close Combat in a fight or Influence in a debate. A Faction can also
hinder a character. Obviously, a Faction may well call upon a character for
certain tasks, but it might also get a character into trouble if his
Righteousness is called into question or tested by another Faction. It is also
possible for the Righteousness a character or NPC has in Faction to be driven
to zero, in which case he is ripe for conversion to another Faction.Righeousness
then, is a roleplaying tool. It is there is to gauge, push, and pull player
character actions and motivations. It is befits the period with its religious
divisions, division between religion and
science, and so on. Four sample Factions are included, so the GM will probably
need to create more.Mechanically,
Renaissance Deluxe is a percentile system—a player generally needs to roll
under an appropriate skill to succeed. Critical rolls and fumbles are also
possible. Combat in Renaissance Deluxe is designed to be fairly unforgiving—the
average character only has to take seven points of damage, which most weapons
are capable of inflicting—and he suffers a Serious Wound, such as broken ribs
or a scar across the face. Typically, minor NPCs will be hors de combat, but player characters and major NPCs are capable of
suffering even more debilitating Grave Wounds. Armour is available, but not
particularly effective against firearms.Most
characters have access to weapons of all kinds, these being covered by the
broad Close Combat, Gun Combat, Ranged Combat, and Unarmed Combat skills. The
signature combat skills of the period fall under a number of Advanced Skills—Polearms
and Bows are covered by their own skills, whilst Dual Weapons is covered by a
number of separate skills, such as Sword & Pistol, Sword & Main Gauche,
and Sword &bShield. Firearms take too long to reload, so are generally used
as one-shot weapons before melee weapons are drawn. Critical and Fumble tables
are provided for the various weapon types in the game.In
comparison to NPCs, player characters have Hero Points. These are used to gain
re-rolled skills, downgrade Serious and Grave Wounds, to avoid death, and for
alchemists, to design new spells. Characters also earn Improvement Points
through play—these can be expended to improve skills, learn new ones, and even
improve their characteristics.The broad
swathe of Renaissance Deluxe’s historical setting is supported with rules for travel
and weather, illness and disease, an extensive list of poisons, ship travel,
and naval combat. The latter is streamlined for ease of play. Where Renaissance
Deluxe begins to diverge from a mundane treatment of its history is with
Alchemy, one of two magic systems in the RPG. The other being Satanism. Alchemy
revolves around the four elements—air, earth, fire, and water, as well as
aether—and requires that the alchemist create a Philosopher’s Stone, in which
he stores the energy to fuel his spells. The RPG’s short spell list is perhaps
too cumbersome, each entry being named something along the lines of For to
Speak unto the Mind of Another or For to Steady the Hands of a Marksman, and
thus too awkwardly named to find with any ease. The rules also cover the making
of potions and the summoning of familiar. Guidelines are also included so that
the GM can alter these rules create the magic system that he wants.Most
spell-casting characters in Renaissance Deluxe will be alchemists. Two other
options are available. Galenic physicians balance their patients’ humours as
part of their treatment, though some also two or three healing spells. Our
second sample character is an example of this. The second option is Witchcraft,
which Renaissance Deluxe divides between that used for good and that used for
evil. Cunning Men and Wise Women use it for good as do unaligned witches and
warlocks, whilst Satanic Cultists, Witches, and Warlocks put it to malign
purposes. Unless the entire party is evil, it suggested that evil practitioners
of witchcraft be NPCs. Alternatives are suggested if the GM wants to adapt the
rules of Witchcraft to suit his gameworld.Noah McKay
is the son of a rich Edinburgh merchant who could afford to send his son to
university to study medicine, first in Edinburgh and then in Paris. Currently
Noah is building up a practice tending to his friends of both his mother and
his father, who wish that he would marry. This is marred by his own sickness,
consumption that has left him weak and sometimes feverish. This has also left
him little time to continue his studies, especially his alchemical ones, the
latter his having first studied with colleagues he met as a member of the
Freemasons. His poor health means that it is rare for McKay not be seen wearing
a thick coat and his skinny appearance means that he is sometimes an easy mark
for muggers. For this reason, he carries a walking stick as a means to protect
himself.Adventurer: Noah McKayNationality: Scottish Age: 29Homeland: Scotland Gender: MaleSocial Class: Middle Class Profession: Physician (Galenic)Family:Connections: Political Affiliation:RighteousnessRighteousness Points: 50Faction: Freemasons Faction Zeal: 25STR: 07 CON: 08 SIZ: 11 INT: 14POW: 11 DEX: 14 CHA: 14Damage Modifier: None Combat Order: 12Spellcasting Order: 12 Movement: 15 metresArmourType: Buff Coat AP: 2/1Hit PointsMaximum: 10 Current:Major Wound Level: 5Sanity PointsMaximum: 11 Current: 11Major Insanity Level: 6Magick: 3Spells: For to Bring the Touch of Healing (2), For to Ehance the Hands of HealingBasic Skills:Athletics 21%, Close Combat 41%, Culture (Own) 58%, Dance 38%, Dodge 28%, Drive 28%, Evaluate 42%, First Aid 78%, Gun Combat 28%, Influence 78%, Insight 45%, Lore (Scotland) 63%, Perception 35%, Persistence 52%, Ranged Combat 28%, Resilience 36%, Ride 35%, Sing 35%, Sleight 28%, Stealth 28%, Unarmed Combat 21%Advanced Skills:Alchemist 25%, Art (Prose Writing) 35%, Beliefs (Freemasonry) 53%, Commerce 28%, Courtesy 58%, Elemental Casting (Earth) 25%, Gambling 38%, Healing (Galenic) 55%, Language (English) 78%, Language (French) 38%, Language (Latin) 38%, Lore (Law) 28%The RPG’s
bestiary consists of a mix of ordinary animals, such as boars and wolves, cats
and dogs with the more fantastic, including basilisks, dragons, ghosts, and
ghouls. Goblins and Orcs are also included, as are dwarves and elves, the
latter two as playable races, though sadly, halflings are not listed. The
Sanity system in Renaissance Deluxe is again, a slimmed down version of the
rules seen elsewhere. It treats Sanity as a type of mental hit points rather
than the percentile ‘death spiral’ of Call of Cthulhu, with the horror checks
being made against the skill of Persistence. This does place a lot of reliance
upon the one skill, especially in a horror game or setting—such as in Dark
Streets, Cakebread & Walton’s setting of Lovecraftian investigative horror.
That said, just as a player character’s hit points can recover, so can his
Sanity points.Rounding
out Renaissance Deluxe is a section of GM advice. For the most it is a bit too
broad given what it has to cover—essentially not a straight treatment of three
centuries of history, but a fantasy one too… This is not say that its advice is
bad, more that it is short, being mostly pointers and thinking points for the
GM.Physically,
Renaissance Deluxe is a black and greyscale book, which combined with the
somewhat dark art, gives it a grubby look. This seems fitting given the
grubbiness of the period it covers. That said, the book is clearly written and
well-organised.Renaissance
Deluxe joins a number of RPGs and settings that cover the Early Modern period,
such as Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Rogue Games’ColonialGothic, Arion Games’Maelstrom, and more recently, scenarios like Forgive Us,
Death Love Doom, and Tales of the Scarecrow for Lamentations of the Flame Princess:Weird Fantasy Role-Playing. Indeed, it would be possible to pick any of the
supplements or scenarios for those games, and with a little adjustment, the GM
could run them using Renaissance Deluxe.If there
are issues with Renaissance Deluxe, it is that the book does require the GM and
his players to know a lot about the history of the period. A timeline and a deeper
overview of the period than the one given would have been helpful, as would a
bibliography. Although the book is supposed to cover three centuries of
history, it feels distinctly slanted towards the earlier half of the period. It
would have been nice if the book had included some setting pitches too for the
GM to develop further as well as an accompanying bibliography.Renaissance Deluxe is not
written with the novice game in mind. It is all a bit grey and ever so slightly
intimidating, and it is lacking in the history of the period—it may just not be
‘deluxe’ enough. As a ‘core’ book though, it has much to recommend it. The book
is well-written, the rules decently presented, and for the GM and the player
who has any experience with any iteration of Basic Roleplaying and grasp of the
game’s intended historical setting, Renaissance Deluxe is accessible and easy
to grasp.

For Your Information

A gamer for over thirty-five years, Pookie has been reviewing games and saying mostly nice things about them for ten of them. His reviews have appeared in Steve Jackson Games' Pyramid and Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society, Campaign Magazine, Games International, The Unspeakable Oath, at OgreCave.com, and elsewhere. Currently they appear regularly at Reviews from R'lyeh.

He has edited titles for Triple Ace Games for the Sundered Skies setting; for Goodman Games' Age of Cthulhu line; for Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay; for Call of Cthulhu from SixtyStone Press; and various others.

Other facts about Pookie:

He is English.He likes tea.

He has been known as Pookie since he was seven.The nickname has nothing whatsoever to do with small bears and is more leptoidal in nature.The Klingon in him is fond of prunes.